Walking Among Stories Carved in Stone

For a genealogist, a walk through a cemetery often turns into a slow, thoughtful wander. We come looking for one ancestor, but before long we’re pausing at another headstone—and then another. A single visit can leave us with new names, new questions, and a research list longer than the one we arrived with.

Family plots often reveal surprises: a child we hadn’t yet found in the records, a spouse whose name never appeared in earlier documents, or a shared marker that hints at a relationship waiting to be explored. Even the graves nearby can matter. Relatives, neighbors, church friends—people whose lives touched our family in ways the records don’t always show.

And still, a date carved in stone isn’t always correct. So we photograph the marker, note its location, and compare what it tells us with other sources. A headstone is a clue, not a conclusion—another piece of a story that deserves checking.

But standing where an ancestor is buried offers something no database ever can. The searching slows. The noise of research fades. For a moment, we remember that behind every name and date was a person who lived, loved, worked, hoped, and was missed.

Sometimes, simply pausing to read their name feels like a small act of remembrance—one that connects us not just to their story, but to the reason we do this work at all.

Small Steps, Big Progress: Genealogy Tasks You Can Do in 15 Minutes

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There are never enough hours in a day to do everything you need—and want—to do. Genealogy has always been a passion of mine, and when life got hectic, the only way I could stay sane was to carve out a little time here and there to "dabble" in my research.

Sometimes I had an hour. Sometimes I only had 15 minutes, but even that short time could make me feel better on a rough day. Just carving time out for myself—to do what I love—made all the difference.

I didn't necessarily solve a family mystery or find a long-lost ancestor. Sometimes I simply organized a few files, studied a photograph, or jotted down what I wanted to research next. But I had done something—and sometimes that's all you need to keep your genealogy moving forward.

Life pulls you in a dozen directions, and you miss sitting down to do your family history. I understand that feeling. Busy days, long to-do lists, and only a sliver of time to spare. You could wait for a free afternoon, but how often does that actually happen?

And let's be honest. Sometimes it isn't just a lack of time that keeps us from getting started. If you haven't looked at your research in weeks—or even months—it can feel overwhelming to figure out where to begin.

The best way to handle a big job is to break it into smaller, manageable pieces.

So, let's put those 15 minutes to work!

Rename 10 Files

Take a look at your digital files wherever they are stored. Do you see files named image123.jpg or document(4).pdf?

Those little enigmas aren't helping you.

Set a timer for 15 minutes and rename ten files with clear, meaningful titles. You can read more about naming your digital files in my earlier post. 

Organize One Digital Folder

Pick one ancestor and tidy up their folder. Move loose documents where they belong, delete duplicates, and group related records together. Don't attempt your whole collection. One folder is enough.

Scan a Few Family Photographs

Digitizing your entire photo collection can feel overwhelming. So don't. Scan three photos. Or five. Even one counts! You can read more about scanning and preserving old photos in my earlier post.

Work on a Mystery Photo We all have them—those unidentified photographs with no names or dates.

Pick one and become a detective for 15 minutes. Study the clothing, hairstyles, automobiles, buildings, furniture—anything that offers clues. Write down your observations. Narrowing down a time frame using these observations can tell you more than you think. You may not identify the people today—and that's okay. You've still learned something.

Here are a couple of resources to help you date your photos:

PhotoTree.com—excellent examples and case studies.

Maureen Taylor’s Family Photo Detective—a wonderful reference for tricky images and a tremendous aid for my mystery photos.

Clean Up Your Research Notes

Scraps of information accumulate quietly—half-formed thoughts in Word documents, sticky notes, scribbles in notebooks (please tell me I'm not the only one who does this!). I once found notes about the same search in three different places. That's three rounds of research I didn't need to repeat.

Choose one small batch and clean it up. Record what you searched, what you found, what you didn’t find, and what records you may still need to look for. Your future self will be grateful for the clarity.

Write Down Your Next Step This one takes almost no time but makes your next research session far more productive. Before you close your genealogy program, write down your next action. Be precise.

Not: “Work on Grandma’s family.” That’s too vague.

Instead: “Check Hunt County deed indexes for William Smith, 1900–1920.”

A clear assignment means you won't waste time figuring out where you left off.

You Don't Need All Day

Genealogy grows through small discoveries—and small organizational tasks. So the next time you think, “I don't have enough time to do genealogy today,” reconsider.

Set a timer for 15 minutes. Pick one small task.

And move your genealogy forward. You might be surprised by how much you can accomplish.

For more 15 Minute (or less) genealogy tasks, check out this list.

Honoring the Ancestors Who Never Reached 65

Today marks a milestone in my life—I turn 65.

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My family and I celebrated over the weekend by taking a sunset sail around Lake Ray Hubbard. It was the perfect evening filled with family, food, and fun—plus a nice breeze to help with this August heat! I even got to steer the boat, which made the whole night feel extra special!

Making memories aboard the Seawolf

 

The Gift of Growing Older

The older I get, the more I realize what a gift that is. As I've researched my family history, I've discovered that many members of my mother's family never had the opportunity to celebrate birthdays in their sixties. That knowledge has made me appreciate each passing year a little more.

Steering the Seawolf

Another Reason Today Feels Special

I was born on my paternal grandfather's birthday. Although we share the same birth date, I never had the chance to know him. He passed away 15 years before I was born—at only 50 years old. Yet through genealogy, I've come to know him in a different way—through records, photographs, and the stories left behind by those who remembered him.

Genealogy has a way of reminding us that while we can't change the past, we can honor it. Every document we uncover helps us understand the lives that made our own possible.

So today, as I celebrate another birthday, I'm also thinking of the generations who came before me—and feeling especially grateful to be part of their story.

Have you discovered a special connection to an ancestor through your own genealogy research? I would love to hear your story in the comments below!

Searching Isn't Researching: Laying the Foundation for the Genealogical Proof Standard

One of the greatest lessons I learned during my 21 years in the classroom has served me just as well in genealogy.

As a teacher, I never walked into a classroom wondering, What am I going to teach today? Every lesson began with a learning objective. I knew exactly what I wanted my students to understand before I chose the activities, worksheets, or assessments. The tools supported the lesson—they didn't determine it.

Genealogy works the same way.

Too often, we sit down at the computer, type an ancestor's name into a search box, and begin collecting whatever records appear. We save a census record, download a death certificate, maybe find a marriage record, and call it a productive day.

That's searching.

Searching is necessary—but searching alone rarely solves genealogical problems. Without a purpose, it's easy to collect records instead of finding answers.

That's where research comes in. The first part of research begins with a question.

Instead of asking, What can I find on Benjamin Ball? try asking:

• Who were Benjamin Ball's parents?
• Where was he living during the 1850 and 1860 censuses?
• Why did he disappear from one county and appear in another?
• Did he serve in the Civil War, or was there another man with the same name?

Once you know what you're trying to learn, you can develop a research plan and identify the records most likely to answer your question. A census may establish residence. A deed might reveal family relationships. Probate records, tax lists, church registers, newspapers, military records, or the records of friends, associates, and neighbors (the FAN Club) may each provide another piece of the puzzle.

Now your searching has purpose.

This distinction isn't just my opinion—it's reflected in the evolution of genealogical standards themselves.

When the Board for Certification of Genealogists first published Genealogy Standards in 2000, the first element of the Genealogical Proof Standard called for a reasonably exhaustive search. In the 2014 edition, that wording changed to reasonably exhaustive research.

That may seem like a small change, but it reflects a significant shift in thinking.

Searching is the act of locating records.

Research begins with a question, follows a plan, and searches for records with purpose.

That single word change reflects a shift in mindset. Modern genealogy isn't measured by how many records we collect, but by how thoughtfully we answer a research question.

Looking back, I realize this was one of the most important lessons I learned while studying the Genealogical Proof Standard. At first, I thought the challenge was learning the five standards. Instead, the real challenge was changing the way I approached genealogy.

Once I stopped asking, What records can I find? and started asking, What question am I trying to answer?, everything else began to fall into place.

That simple shift in mindset is the foundation of the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS)—and the focus of this series.

Over the next several articles, we'll build on this foundation by exploring each element of the Genealogical Proof Standard and how they work together to produce reliable genealogical conclusions.

• Reasonably Exhaustive Research
• Complete and Accurate Source Citations
• Analysis and Correlation of Evidence
• Resolving Conflicting Evidence
• Writing a Soundly Reasoned, Coherently Written Conclusion

Join me in this journey, and you will see that the Genealogical Proof Standard is not five separate requirements, but one connected process for answering family history questions with confidence.